NNI Volunteer of the Month - June, 2008
Marty Schuettpelz
Martin (Marty) Schuettpelz grew up on a dairy farm near Suring, Wisconsin, about 50 miles northwest of Green Bay. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1971 with a degree in Forestry. He met his future wife, Kitty, while working for the U.S. Forest Service in Montana. They were married there in 1977 and moved to Kansas City in 1978.
Marty worked 26 years for the Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, before retiring in November 2005. As an environmental planner, Marty assessed the environmental impact and other effects of proposed projects including Truman Reservoir, the 1993 flood repairs, the Blue River Channel, and the Missouri River levee at Riverside. “I had a rewarding career at the Corps, working with a lot of smart, dedicated, and caring people, learning a great deal about how projects are planned and built.”
Marty lists his current occupation as “retired/volunteer.” He looked for a few volunteer opportunities after retiring, with emphasis on the environment and neighborhoods. They were not hard to find. After offering time at one job or location, others seemed to come knocking. Marty now divides his volunteering among NNI, Shepherds Center of the Northland, and the Sherwood Estates Homes Association. He also helps at Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary in Liberty, Channel 19 (KCPT–TV), Missouri Prairie Foundation, Bridging the Gap, and at North Cross United Methodist Church.
Marty has been an NNI Board Member since 2005. Along with the Board and its committee work, he has “worked” at all the Night Out Against Crime Kickoffs, the yearly A.B.O.P.T. household waste cleanups at Antioch Center, the Safe Trick or Treat events and many others. “My service at NNI has been eye-opening, giving me a deeper understanding of the issues facing our neighborhoods and a growing appreciation of the power that people can have when working together.”
At Shepherd’s Center Marty often volunteers twice a week. He enjoys helping at SCN and hopes such organizations and volunteers will be available if he ever needs them.
Marty and Kitty have lived in Sherwood Estates since early 1993. “After I asked several questions at the homes assocciation annual meeting in 2005, I suddenly found myself nominated for a spot on SEHA’s Board. My first thoughts were ‘not me’, but the main reason I attended the meeting was to become more involved in the neighborhood, so I accepted. Our Board works hard to maintain and improve our neighborhood. We want Sherwood Estates to continue to be a place people want to live.” Marty was reelected to the Board last fall and elected President in January.
Marty has strong feelings about public transportation. He rode the bus to and from work almost every day for 26 years. He continues to use the bus system, especially the Metroflex small bus service, and is a source of information if you have any questions about using the Metro.
